The Aftershocks Remain
by Perchance A Primrose
Summary: It's been 3 months since Diana left. Natalie isn't crazy. Henry keeps telling her that. It would just be nice if she could convince herself of that. Multi-Chapter with Natalie mainly and Henry, Gabe and Dan all randomly.
1. I'm Alive

N2N Fan Fiction: The Aftershocks Remain

Natalie walked down the stairs of the house she shared with her mother and father.

Well, used to share with her mother until she left, that is. Natalie tried not to resent her mother from leaving but it was difficult. She realized that Diana needed time away but still did she have to leave completely.

'_That's odd.'_ Natalie thought as she walked into the kitchen and saw that the light was on. Dan, her father, was never up this early.

Actually she wasn't even sure that he had ever come home last night. He left early last night without telling her where he was going or when he would be back.

Lost in her own thoughts, Natalie didn't notice the young man sitting at the table until he spoke to her.

"Hello, Natalie." She turned around startled.

'_Great, not only is my dad a cougar but he's also swinging that way.'_ Her eyes flew over his dishwater blonde hair and nice brown eyes. He looked familiar but she couldn't place where she knew him from.

"Hello." She turned back to the counter and wondered if she should just keep quiet or talk to him. He made the decision for her.

"You really don't recognize me do you?" He asked. His voice was silky and calming but at the same time he gave her a feeling of anxiousness in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't explain. She looked at him. He was young, around 20 and well built.

'_Well, at least if Dad and I are playing for the same team he has good taste in men.'_ she thought putting a piece of bread in the toaster.

"Am I supposed to?" She couldn't think of any place that she even would know him from. He laughed. He had a nice laugh, his whole body smiled and laughed when he did.

"Most people recognize their own older brother." That's when she knew that one of them was crazy and one of them didn't belong there and neither of them was Natalie.

Instinctively, she reached for a knife out of the knife block beside her on the counter. The man put his hand on her shoulder.

"You know me, Natalie. You know that the knife won't do anything." She turned around and looked him straight in the face. Natalie looked into his eyes and realized who he was. Her eyes grew wide with knowing.

"You really are him." She breathed. It really was her brother. She knew it had to be because he looked just like Natalie's mother.

This was her older brother, the one who drove her mother insane, the reason her mother tried to kill herself. He was right there. Standing right in front of her was the reason that the last few months had been hell for Natalie. She now could see him.

"Get out." She said calmly pointing the knife at him.

"Natalie, I'm not just going to leave. You have to accept me." He took a step towards her.

"No, I don't. I'll never accept being crazy like my mother has. I won't let you convince me that I am either!" Natalie grabbed her backpack and ran out of the house, leaving her breakfast in the toaster.

She knew that eventually she would have to go back. Natalie knew that she wouldn't always be able to run away but she would for as long as possible. Because she didn't lie to her brother, she wasn't crazy.

Natalie wasn't her mother.


	2. Everything Else

Natalie stood at her unopened locker. She just stared at the dark blue metal.

The bustle around Natalie didn't faze her. She also didn't need super powers  
to know what they were thinking. _'There's the girl with the crazy  
mother. You know her dads crazy too. It's a shame that the apple didn't fall a  
little farther from the tree.'  
_

Natalie was snapped out of her daze by a body slam in the locker next to hers. She turned her head and saw her boyfriend, Henry. He smiled his adorable lopsided grin and kissed her softly on the lips. 

"Good morning." 

"Morning" Natalie tried to force a smile on her lips but knew that it was pointless because Henry could always see when someone was wrong. He asked the question she knew was coming. 

"What's wrong? Did something happen with your dad?" 

That was probably the thing that annoyed her most about Henry. She couldn't hide anything from him but thankfully most of her problems didn't bother him. 

Natalie shook her head. How do you tell your boyfriend who watched  
your mother go crazy that you're seeing the same thing she did, the same person. She already knew what Henry would say. It would be the same as always. He would tell her that she wasn't crazy. It was probably what he said to her the most.

Natalie decided, against her better judgment, to tell him. 

"I walked down stairs this morning and found a visitor sitting at the kitchen table." Natalie started to explain. 

"I didn't think your dad would get back into dating so soon." 

"Henry, my mother isn't dead and the visitor was a guy." 

"Whoa, I really didn't see that one coming." he blinked. 

"Would you let me explain? Henry, I... He ... What I mean is ..." 

"Its okay Natalie. You can tell me anything." she nodded her head. 

"It was my brother. I walked downstairs this morning and found my brother sitting at my kitchen table." 

In a normal family this wouldn't be a big deal but Natalie could tell from Henry's eyes growing wider that he understood. 

"Really?" he questioned. She could see the worry in his eyes even though he tried to hide it in his face. Natalie nodded and hung her head. He sighed and hugged her.

"Relax we'll get through this." 

She groaned "You sound just like Dad. He is always telling me it's okay, we'll get through this, we don't need mom. Henry, would you get a clue! It's not okay!"

Natalie turned around and stormed off. She wasn't exactly sure of where she was going but Henry knew exactly where she would end up. 


	3. The Break

Natalie took a deep breath and sat down at the piano. She laid out the  
sheet music in front if her and started to play. It always relaxed  
her. The harmony and logic always helped her to make sense of her  
problems.

She was thinking about how it must have done the same thing for Mozart  
when he was writing it. He had a ton of problems. Mozart was an  
alcoholic and he was addicted to opium. He also was pretty much crazy.  
Wow they were scarily similar.

Someone burst into the room and Natalie turned her head to see who it  
was. At the sight of him she felt a flair of anger in the pit of her  
stomach and she slammed her hands down on the keys.

"Damn it Henry! Why do you keep following me?"

"It's not following, Nat. It's routine. I meet you here everyday."  
Henry smiled.

"Didn't you listen to a word I said earlier? I'm going crazy Henry!"  
Natalie was screaming but she didn't care who heard anymore.

"Natalie, I already told you that I don't care it you are crazy."

"Henry how can you say that? You saw what my mother went through. You  
don't care at all that I'm headed straight down the same path as her!"

"That's not what I meant."

"Yeah, Now that I figured it out. You do care that I'm crazy you just  
don't want to admit it to yourself because that would be admitting  
that I really am going crazy. But you can't accept it, can you! You  
can't accept me!" Natalie was screaming but she didn't care who heard.  
Not anymore.

"Maybe I don't want to!" Henry yelled at her.

"Maybe I don't think we should be together anymore!" Natalie yelled.

"Maybe your right." Henry said quietly. Natalie grabbed her stuff and  
stormed out.

"I am right. Goodbye Henry." She walked out of the piano room and  
straight out the door to go home.


End file.
